Los Angeles native singer-songwriter Natalie Del Carmen explores folk-Americana genres, interwoven with some exciting detours into the realm of pop music to create a distinctive sound.
Not long ago, Natalie shared the latest single, “The Highway”, which masterfully encapsulates the vast array of emotions one encounters during a seemingly simple & routine highway drive.
Drawing on folk-Americana roots & infusing them with a pop sensibility, Natalie crafts a musical narrative that is both deeply personal & expansively universal.
Natalie has kindly taken the time to talk with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution regarding the creative process behind “The Highway” & what it truly means to this artist. You can find the full interview below.
Hey Natalie, thank you so much for this interview. Can you start by introducing yourself to readers who might be unfamiliar with your music?
Natalie: Thank you for having me! I’m an Americana artist based here in Los Angeles, and I grew up down in the valley not too far from the heart of the city. Writing and releasing Americana tunes has been a significant part of my life in music for the past few years, and graciously getting to work with outstanding folks and players in the industry has been such a highlight. I think the time I spent down in Nashville recording my first album really laid the groundwork for the kind of music I wanted to make going forward in Americana, and being here in LA again is such a strong part of my identity that is reflected in my music.
When did you first discover your passion for music?
Natalie: I really believe that passion was there from an early age, but it didn’t reflect outwardly until around 8 or so. I grew up being a competitive dancer, and while I loved that, I think I pulled to the music aspect of dance more than I did the choreography. I remember that move from dance to music being a significant and positive turning point in my childhood.
Also, my brother was a remarkable guitar player throughout his teen years, and I wanted to get serious about guitar as well. Really, a lot of my passions in life come from watching other people find what they love. Outside of the piano lessons and guitar teaching that I did on my own time, music really became the forefront of my life around twelve when I started writing my own stuff.
Have you always wanted to pursue a career within the music industry?
Natalie: When it comes down to it, absolutely. While the road in music feels fuzzy sometimes (especially as I get into my twenties), I feel grateful to have had something in my life that is so stagnant. The dialogue in my mind has always been like, “if I don’t have xyz, I have music. And that makes me really happy.” With pursuing music, I trust I’d be content in many corners of it. I will always write and record music because it’s an extension of myself as a person, but I see myself going down many avenues of the industry. I’m excited for what that might look like. I’m really just in my onset of all of this.
How would you currently describe your musical style?
Natalie: At its core, my music is very much Singer-Songwriter focussed. Lyrics are a huge part of why I write music, and they always end up being the focal point of the song rather than the production elements (I’d like to think). Sonically, I love to bring an Americana twist to most of the tracks I’m releasing these days, and I feel there’s an influence of Classic Country in a lot of what I’m writing as well. I look forward to bringing that love of the genre into more music this year.
You recently shared the new single “The Highway”, which sounds amazing. How did the idea for this song come together?
Natalie: I think sort of on the same vein of trying to find where I’m meant to land in music reflects heavily in “The Highway.” It’s definitely a personal reflection of how life is bittersweet to me; Some things you pray might last forever, but it’s probably good that a lot of things don’t. I really love driving around and being in a car in general, and it’s a great way to process things. In a car, the world passes you quickly the same way life does. The song feels like a love song because I think love is the most relatable way to get other general ideas across. But, it’s a song about moving on and moving forward to the next thing on the horizon. It’s always coming.
Did you always plan to release “The Highway” as a single?
Natalie: I did! I released two big projects in 2023, and this year it’s been really important for me to focus on one song at a time and the individual ideas that go with it.
Singles and EP/Albums are great in their own ways, but I think a chain of singles is a great way to develop your sound over time. I can take longer to love one song and really choose the next one carefully. Singles also challenge me to write music that stands more on its own and really focus heavily on production to serve the song.
During this song, we hear the distinctive twang of your grandfather’s 1930s banjo, what does it mean to you to include this in the song?
Natalie: Banjo has really stolen my heart over the last year. I think the instrument completes a song like no other. The way it sits in a mix and the range of the instrument adds another layer of ideas that push a song forward, and getting that banjo from my grandpa has been a highlight of my life. Since the banjo is so old and unique, I’ve chosen not to restore it. It has character for sure, and recording scratch tracks with it is super helpful prior to a session and playing in my personal life. There’s still some takes in there of the 1930’s banjo layered in, but for the sake of good tone and recording purposes, we used a modern banjo for the bulk of the melody in “The Highway.”
What message would you like listeners to take from this song?
Natalie: It’s something that I think people much older and wiser than me might have a laugh at, but I’ve learned recently that life isn’t always fair and that’s been something to come to terms with. Life hands you beautiful things, it takes beautiful things from you, it hands you hardship, but it also lifts you up when you need it most. I still believe life is a balance. My mom always told me you have to have the bad with the good to find appreciation and gratitude anywhere. I hope people take from “The Highway” what I wanted to put into it when thinking about these bigger, more all-consuming parts of life.
Are there any further musical releases planned that you can currently tell us about?
Natalie: I’m heading out to Nashville in about a month here, and Nashville always means it’s going to be a good, jolly time creating music. I’m really happy to be releasing singles this year, so if you put those two things together, I think you might know!
Finally, is there a message that you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?
Natalie: A huge thank you to anyone if you’ve read this far, or taken a listen to “The Highway” this week! Pursuing music is such an individual and winding path, and the best way to continue supporting small artists these days is to connect with your favourite musicians directly, whether that is on streaming or social media.
If you’re a Singer-Songwriter/Americana/Country lover, check out “Learn It All Again Tomorrow” by Ben Harper & Ellen Harper. It’s been a repeater for me these days.
You can check out the official video for “The Highway” below or listen on more platforms here.
Fierce & Fabulous Revolution 